{"id":83297,"date":"2022-06-27T11:48:46","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T09:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=83297"},"modified":"2022-06-27T11:48:47","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T09:48:47","slug":"first-evidence-of-microplastics-in-antarctic-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/science\/first-evidence-of-microplastics-in-antarctic-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

University of Canterbury researchers have published the world\u2019s first study confirming the discovery of microplastics in fresh snow in Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people see Antarctica as a pristine, relatively untouched place, but a new study published today has revealed the presence of microplastics \u2013 plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice \u2013 in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings, \u2018First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow\u2019 published in the scientific journal The Cryosphere,<\/em> bring light to a serious threat to the Antarctic. Research has found that microplastics have negative impacts on environmental health (limiting growth, reproduction, and general biological functions in organisms, as well as negative implications for humans). On a wider scale, the presence of microplastic particles in the air has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of snow and ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Canterbury PhD student Alex Aves collected snow samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in late 2019 as part of Gateway Antarctica\u2019s Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies<\/a>. (Gateway Antarctica<\/a> is the Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research at the University of Canterbury.) At the time, there had been few studies investigating the presence of microplastics in the air, and it was unknown how widespread this problem was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Alex travelled to Antarctica in 2019, we were optimistic that she wouldn\u2019t find any microplastics in such a pristine and remote location,\u201d Associate Professor in Environmental Physics Dr Laura Revell<\/a> says. In addition to more remote sites, \u201cwe asked her to collect snow off the Scott Base and McMurdo Station roadways, so she\u2019d have at least some microplastics to study\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once back in the lab, it quickly became obvious there were plastic particles in every sample from the remote sites on the Ross Ice Shelf too, and that the findings would be of global significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aves, who recently graduated with a Master of Antarctic Studies degree with Distinction, says she was shocked by her findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly sad but finding microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow highlights the extent of plastic pollution into even the most remote regions of the world,\u201d she says. \u201cWe collected snow samples from 19 sites across the Ross Island region of Antarctica and found microplastics in all of these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooking back now, I\u2019m not at all surprised,\u201d Associate Professor Revell says. \u201cFrom the studies published in the last few years we\u2019ve learned that everywhere we look for airborne microplastics, we find them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aves analysed snow samples using a chemical analysis technique (micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) to identify the type of plastic particles present. The plastic particles were also looked at under a microscope to identify their colour, size and shape \u2013 all important observational information for future work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paper found an average of 29 microplastic particles per litre of melted snow, which is higher than marine concentrations reported previously from the surrounding Ross Sea and in Antarctic sea ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately next to the scientific bases on Ross Island, Scott Base, and McMurdo Station, the largest station in Antarctica, the density of microplastics was nearly 3-times higher, with similar concentrations to those found in Italian glacier debris. There were 13 different types of plastic found, with the most common being PET, commonly used to make soft drink bottles and clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The possible sources of microplastics were examined. Atmospheric modelling suggested microplastics may have travelled thousands of kilometres through the air, however it is equally likely the presence of humans in Antarctica has established a microplastic \u2018footprint\u2019, the researchers say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antarctica New Zealand environmental advisor Natasha Gardiner has described this UC research as \u201cof huge value\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlex and her colleagues\u2019 research enables Antarctic Treaty Parties to make evidence-based decisions regarding the urgent need to reduce plastic pollution in the future. It improves our understanding of the extent of plastic pollution near to Scott Base and where it\u2019s coming from. We can use this information to reduce plastic pollution at its source and inform our broader environmental management practices,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImportantly, this research project also informs policy at the international level, and we have submitted a paper on the findings to the forthcoming Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research was supported by the Royal Society Te Ap\u0101rangi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the field work was completed through the University of Canterbury’s Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies course with logistical support from Antarctica New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source<\/h5>\r\n\n\n\n

University of Canterbury 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

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